Unions call on Govt to help teachers left abandoned by Grafton College closure

Unions call on Govt to help teachers left abandoned by Grafton College closure

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has called on the Education Minister Joe McHugh to urgently assist teachers left high-and-dry after the abrupt closure of the Grafton College language school in Dublin.

While most of the students affected have been placed with other schools – the teachers involved say they have slipped between the cracks with no wages, and no P45s to present to social welfare.

An amendment to a bill adding employment protections for teachers made it through the Seanad this week and is now due before the Dáil.

Teacher, Leon Vaughan, is among the group now campaigning under the hashtag #SupportGraftonTeachers. He said they met the Minister at Leinster House on Wednesday but were left feeling totally abandoned.

Mr Vaughan said: “All he wanted to know was what are our qualifications. I understand that our deal with the schools are private companies, however, why not nationalise the whole thing and get us on the right track?

“We are teachers, we have worked hard and this is the 22nd or 23rd time that this has happened since 2014, if it takes 23 times for it never to happen again, so be it.”